Priscilla If

by ArcherFromArnor

After convincing Priscilla Barielle to help him against the witch cult attacking in ARC3, Subaru finds himself bound to honor his part of the deal he made with the princess. In short;what if Subaru would have joined the Priscilla camp?

2. Chapter 2, a book and its cover

One year ago, I was seated in a VC alongisde Reactionist as we wrote one of his chapter, and I was writing the second chapter of this story. That day, my PC just crashed in front of my eyes, deleting the 12k nearly completed chapter for this fic.
The next day, I tried to work on it again, but didn't manage to reach the same chapter lenght I did before, and decided to work on something else. But it wasn't good enough, I always felt like something was missing. So I deleted it and started it again, and again, until I rewrote this chapter for the fourth time...Only for my PC to crash again, and delete the chapter once more. (Mind you, I used WPS at the time, not Microsoft word.) I was done, I called it quits and didn't touch this fic again for months.

In the meantime, Tappei released Priscilla IF from Lost In Memories, including Priscilla fighting Beltegueuse which was coincidently exactly what I had prepared, and I thought it was definitely a lost cause to write this.

It was only recently that I was pushed to write this again by my dearest friends from the discord server, (this time with a shitton of back up plans) and bit by bit, I ended up crafting this new chapter, completely different in every way from the first time I wrote it.

I tried to upload it once last month on AO3 to win a bet, but the formating was somehow screwed with publishing. And I had to take it down to rework it, but my exams of June came around.

Last week, I started working on it again. And finally, I believe this chapter is ready to be delivered.

I am sorry for making you wait a year and more. And I hope you enjoy your read!

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Chapter 2: A book and its cover

"That was fast…"

Less than an hour ago, Natsuki Subaru made a quite "unique" deal with the baroness and candidate of the throne: Priscilla Barielle.

He was now standing in front of her mansion's gates, along with Rem and Al, watching with amazement the numbers of armored men who answered the call. Polishing their weapons and readying themselves to go into battle, no more than a glance was needed to understand these men were no mere rookies about to enter a battlefield for the first time.

Of course, Subaru had not been expecting the princess to only offer Al for his foray into the Margrave's domain … After witnessing her incredible reactivity, he could only feel like an idiot for thinking it might be a close call to save anyone.

"You okay, bro?" Scoffed Al, noticing the boy's surprise.

"Er… Yeah… It's just…" Subaru trailed off, scratching the back of his head, "I wasn't expecting this, that's all."

"Mh? Expecting what?"

"Well…THAT!" Subaru exclaimed, pointing to the well-equipped number of soldiers armed to the teeth, "It's like they already knew she was about to call them…"

Al huffed under his helmet; Subaru, much like many people, had probably a preconceived notion about his mistress.

Still, he had gotten used to it…As Priscilla herself never bothered to prove her competence as a ruler to anyone, or rather, always acted in the same pretentious way in any situation she had ever been in. If she continued to act as such, never would the common folk see her for the woman she really was: the one who turned the depleted lands of the Barielle territory into one of the most thriving lands of the kingdom. For now, they were all blinded by the egocentric noble who happened to be chosen as a candidate by the dragon.

"Yeah, I mean, it's obvious they would answer her request. They owe the princess a lot, after all." Al explained.

Subaru turned to him with a questioning gaze, failing to understand what he meant by that.

"I don't need to go into the details, do I? They're loyal to her," Al told him, watching as the knights prepared themselves, "The princess did a lot for them. They were all working for that other guy, who had kind of screwed them over and over again…Er, what's his name… Leip? Yeah, Leip Barielle, the princess's ex."

"O-oh...Priscilla was married?" Subaru said with surprise, wondering what happened to the ex husband.

"Yup. Though, Leip died quite a long time ago." Al answered.

"Well…I'm sorr-"

"Don't be," Al cut him sternly,"some people deserve pity bro, but him?"

Subaru returned his eyes to the road, as more soldiers arrived at the gate, bringing with them memories of his previous loops.

People who had died horribly: gutted, sliced, butchered…Men, women and children alike. All of whom died unfairly -for no reason - other than the sadistic pleasure of one cruel maniac. These thoughts remained in the back of his mind since he came back from death -and in silence- his heart bled for the inevitable fate they were doomed to go through.

"Petelgeuse…" Subaru growled between his teeth, clenching his hands.

The man who followed the witch. The man who slaughtered the people of the domain. The one who killed Rem. Ram, and Emilia. It was all him. It was all his fault.

But now it was different, he finally had a chance! It was right by his side and standing in front of him. A chance to make things right! To save everyone! To save Emilia!

He just needed to lead all of these men and head straight to the manor; where he could strike first and kill Petelgeuse once and for all. Before that madman could claim any victim.

"Subaru-kun?" an innocent voice called from his side.

Subaru turned to meet Rem's blue sparkling eyes , who was looking at her hero with worry, wondering why he bore such a threatening frown.

It didn't suit the face of the kind and appeasing, handsome, and wonderful man Rem had come to love.

"N-no, don't worry Rem…I just…Well, I'm glad things are finally getting better." Subaru awkwardly replied, trying to conceal his previous hostility at the mere thought of the archbishop he oh-so desired to slay.

"As long as Subaru-kun is okay, Rem won't ask for anything else." Rem answered with a reassuring smile. "However, Subaru-kun…You have yet to tell Rem how you've succeeded in acquiring Priscilla-sama's help."

Al perked up at the mention of his mistress's name. He too, was curious to know how Subaru managed to achieve such a feat, when he had clearly ( at least in his eyes), nothing worth trading to the fiery lady.

"Honestly…If I told you, you wouldn't even believe me…" Subaru commented to both of them as he placed a hand to his forehead, remembering how the deal came to be.

"Don't think I don't see you trying to weasel your way out of an explanation, bro." Albeit his face was hidden under his helmet, Subaru could somehow visualize a puzzled expression from the one-armed man.

"Yes, Rem believes so too." The maid replied. "Are you perhaps worried about the decision you took, Subaru-kun?"

Hearing this much, Subaru briefly remembered his previous talk with the baroness. The way she haughtily announced to him how Emilia wouldn't acknowledge his actions.

Closing his eyes, the memories of his previous loops flashed in his mind once again. As if something was trying to remind him of why he was doing this in the first place.

'Emilia would definitely understand.' He thought as he tried to cope with his dreadful memories.

"Did you promise money? You know, I'm sure lord Roswaal wouldn't mind paying any amount if it is for his people's sake." The maid said, pulling Subaru out of his thoughts.

"Eh, I doubt that. The princess needs no money, trust me." Al replied to the maid.

"Really? Then how come she accepted?" Rem wondered, turning to the baroness's jester.

"Well, actually I have absolutely no idea!" Al exclaimed with a laugh. "The princess is kind of…Er…Unpredictable? She might just have been bored, you know."

"Bored?" Rem replied with surprise.

"You guys don't need to worry!" Subaru cut with exasperation.

Both turned to the black-haired boy, rubbing his temple as if to ease a headache.

"I made a deal with Priscilla. That's all there is to know…If there's a price to pay, it will be on me anyway." Subaru announced, looking at the troops forming in front of him.

"Fair enough." Al huffed as he turned towards the troops as well.

Rem only kept silent, her eyes following Subaru's, a heavy feeling weighting on her heart.

An instinct, telling her that…Something might not go as well as expected.

"Alright, looks like most of them are already here." Noticing the last carriage of men coming, Al started to walk towards them, leaving behind Subaru and Rem.

"Subaru-kun…" Rem softly called out, eyeing his uneasy expression

"Don't worry about it." He simply answered. "Only thing that matters for now…Is to reach the manor in time."

"…Yes." Rem slowly replied.

She knew that Subaru was hiding something. She knew there was more to it…But Rem also knew her hero certainly had his reasons, as such, she would not force him to reveal anything.

She had always wished to become someone he would confide in about everything, after all. Someone he could trust.

This is why she would simply follow him.

"Seeing you standing here, mineself suppose that you are ready to head north?" An authoritarian yet feminine voice spoke from behind them.

Subaru turned around to meet with the fiery princess herself, wearing her flamboyant red and black dress.

"Mmh?" Priscilla hummed, getting closer as she noticed the young man staring at her. "No matter how beautiful the flower before you is, you must not lose focus."

"W-what?!" Subaru stepped back, his face ablaze in shame. "I-I wasn't staring! I was just surprised!"

"Surprised?" The crimson princess raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well…" Subaru looked around, struggling to find an adequate answer . "You're actually coming with us…"

"Ah! Did you really think that I would remain in mine domain, and wait patiently for your return?" Clicking her tongue, Priscilla walked past the boy. "Even if mine victory is assured, I still enjoy seeing success with mine own eyes. Surely this is something a child like you cannot understand."

"I'm sorry?!" He shot back through his gritted teeth.

"What? You are going to tell me that you cannot understand such simple words?" She replied.

"Subaru-kun." Rem whispered after noticing the boy's face contorting in anger. "Lady Barielle is trying to anger you on purpose. Please, calm down."

Even as she was trying to appease him, Rem herself could feel her blood boil every time she heard this arrogant woman speak. Sickened by how she behaved in such a haughty manner, by how she always seemed to care about nothing but her amusement, by how she never missed an opportunity to insult her hero.

If she wasn't afraid to create many, many, problems for her lord, and if this woman wasn't the only hope Subaru had at the moment, she would have gladly put her back in her place.

"I know she is…" Subaru exhaled in frustration as he calmed his shaking fists. "Even though I hate to admit it…She is right. I have rarely been able to see my own success come to fruition."

Heartbroken by the tone he used, Rem hoped to make him elaborate further "Subaru-kun…?"

"I…I failed, Rem," he said finally meeting her eyes "I failed so many times. I have failed so many people, and I will certainly fail again in the future. I've never been able to do anything on my own, no matter how hard I tried. Even now, I'm still relying on someone else to carry the burden for my sake."

"…"

"But…I promise this will change." He confidently said, staring deep into the maid's blue eyes.

"Today, everyone will be saved, I'll make sure of it. And then…We'll reunite with Emilia, Ram, Beatrice and Roswaal." Reaching her hand with his, he smiled at her. Giving Rem the hope she needed.

"But now…We need to go. We need to fight the cult." His expression changed as he remembered the face of his enemy. "And I need your help, Rem."

Wiping the droplets of tears in her eyes, she held on Subaru's hand, offering him the transcendently beautiful smile only a woman in love could give.

"Of course." She added gently . "Anytime, Subaru-kun."

"And him…" his eyes darkened, "He is going to suffer. I swear, I swear I will make you beg for mercy! Fucking bastard!"

From the comfort of her carriage, Priscilla observed the two of them sharing their bonds of trust and hope, her eyes narrowing at Rem. The princess had no doubt about the nature of the maid's feelings, and even if they made her almost retch in disgust, her curiosity still made her wonder what could have made this girl smile in such a way.

"You should smile and enjoy this happiness while you can," She thought to herself, adjusting in her seat. "Who knows for how long it will last, after all."

"So, do we have a plan?" Breaking the silence in the carriage, Aldebaran turned towards his black-haired friend. "Or are we just jumping into the fray and improvising with 'kill them all' as our sole objective?"

Subaru, Rem, Priscilla and Aldebaran were all seated in the same carriage, heading to the north of the capital.

He was still far from savoring his victory. He knew for a fact that this was just the start of the real battle. Petelgueuse and the cult weren't conventional enemies, what awaited him was far more complex than the head-on charge he imagined when he thought about medieval tactics.

The witch cult were unseen shadows. Cunning. Powerful. Merciless. And a fair fight would be the least one should expect from them.

But no matter their power, their number or their ways ... Subaru had to overcome them. It was no longer a question of possibility but of duty.

He had to win.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Subaru shared his conclusion "The cult won't try to fight fair. They will attack anyone who is unfortunate enough to meet them. Soldiers or not."

Without knowing it, Subaru unintentionally managed to grab the princess's attention. Not paying attention to the boy as her gaze was previously directed out the window, his last words were enough to catch the princess's eyes.

"How do you know that?" Al asked, no that he didn't trust him, he was just trying to find out where he got his information from.

Under the gaze of the other passengers, Subaru gritted his teeth in silence as a feeling of anger washed over him.

"I witnessed it with my own eyes," he growled in uncontrolled hatred. "This cult is nothing but a bunch of psychopathic killers. We have to take no chances! They all deserve to die!"

"Silence."

The sudden, echoing voice managed to send shivers to everyone in the carriage. Subaru in particular felt his breath taken away, being somehow brought back to reason by the baroness' voice. He came to realize that all the eyes of the carriage were staring at him, from the worried Rem, to the weirded-out Al, and the upset Priscilla.

"Stop behaving like a mannerless dog when you are around mineself, commoner." She warned, her red eyes emitting a dangerous glow. "I shall not tolerate such low behavior in mine carriage."

Even though the boy's eyes had seen much worse than an angry noble, something emanating from her, like an aura or just the candidate's very nature, forced him to bow his head in submission.

"I-I am sorry…"

"Hm." Satisfied with the young man's reaction, she leaned forward.

"Now. Give me a plan." She said in a stern, demanding voice. "Give me something other than the growls of a miserable stray animal."

Rem contained her shaking fist at the sight of this woman threatening Subaru. Even though she hadn't mentioned anything explicit, the maid simply hated the pressure she would inflict on her love.

"I think…We need to evacuate the village first." Subaru cleared his throat, "the good thing is we've got a head start ... As far as I know, they don't plan to attack until three or four days..."

"And how do you know that?" The princess asked, curious.

"... I know because-"

Before he further spoke, Subaru remembered what he was about to disclose, and ultimately shut his mouth.

But above all, he did not realize the situation in which he had put himself.

Just how could he explain to these people he doesn't even know, the fact that he was able to know the whereabouts of the cult?

"Speak." She ordered again, her face hidden behind her fan, and eager to hear an answer.

"Because I ... I saw it." He admitted, under Rem's surprised gaze, as well as Priscilla's, "I have already witnessed their plan."

"I see," She concluded, crossing her legs in a more comfortable position. "What is next on your plan?"

Subaru was speechless at her last words, glancing to both Rem and Aldebaran, trying to find out if he wasn't the only one who found it strange that the princess didn't try to push forward over such an odd answer from him.

"Mh?" Priscilla raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I mean ... Don't you want to find out more?" He asked her, under the worried gaze of the maid.

"No." She answered spontaneously. "Why? Are you lying to me?"

"No but-"

"If that was the case, your shoulders would have already been released of the weight of your own head, commoner." She scoffed, "Lying to mineself would have been pointless."

"Really…" Still feeling the chills down his back from the candidate's threat, Subaru questioned, "Do you have the same blessing as Lady Crusch?"

"Do not lump me with such lowly beings will you," crossing her arms under her chest, her face seemed to show some form of outrage, "I am far from needing a blessing to know that an animal is lying to me."

"...How can this work…? Are you not suspicious?"

"I surely am."

"..."

"But these answers, you will give them to me sooner or later. When I shall request of them, or when I deem it to be necessary," she waved her fan towards her face, "for now, show me how much worth I should put upon you."

"Barielle-sama," Rem spoke, obviously having enough of the princess's remarks, "Even if your status is higher than Subaru or mine, I beg you to avoid such a heartless speech."

"Oh? And how should I show respect to people who cannot stand on their own?" Priscilla twitched an eyebrow, speaking in a pitiless tone, "Do not make me laugh."

"You…!" The maid retorted, ready to pounce forward if it was not for Subaru being by her side and the repercussions she could cause to her master and Emilia.

"I trust that even someone like you would understand the meaning of mine words" She replied with a bored look. "Either way, it is not time for that. For now, I want to hear the rest of your tactics."

Subaru put his hand over Rem's, trying to soothe the fuming maid as he prepared to continue his explanation. "As I said, part of our forces should take care of the evacuation of the village, while another takes care of the defense."

"Defense?" Al repeated, "You want to evacuate the village and protect the villagers at the same time?"

"If we take the shortest road to the village ...-"

"Subaru-kun," Rem cut him off. "The shortest route is impossible to take. The haze of the whale has been seen in this area. It would be dangerous to head there..."

"So ... how long will it take to reach the village?" He asked again, fearing the worst.

"...Three days." she hesitated to say, knowing the effect it would have on Subaru.

He began to breathe out loudly, the images of his loops flowing back in his mind. Again, he wouldn't arrive in time. And all this would have been in vain.

"We will arrive on time." witnessing the boy's despair, the baroness snorted, "cease making such a defeatist face. Remember who you seeked help from."

Subaru looked at her confusedly, trying to figure out what she meant by that.

"Have I not told you already? This world is working in my favor. If I have decided to reach this village in time, the world shall obey my command."

Speechless, Subaru turned his eyes to Aldebaran hoping he would provide further answers.

"Yep, don't even worry. If the princess says so, it's already set in rock." He answered with a thumb up.

"I see…" Subaru continued, still surprised at this revelation. He didn't know if it was wise to trust such careless words, but before such self-assurance even he couldn't help but feel like he could believe her.

"It doesn't matter anyways" He thought to himself, "I'm already this far…Might as well give it a shot."

He thought to himself as he closed his eyes.

"And if it doesn't…I…"

His heart ached, a bizarre pain spreading within him at the remembrance of what his words implied.

"I…will just have to do it again."

His disgusting face appeared in his mind once more. His smile, his eyes, his voice…His laugh.

"I will kill you…"

A dead man, somehow alive. The one that Subaru swore for the first time, to kill.

"...Mineself is still waiting on the rest of your plan, half-wit's dog. " She cut him out of his thoughts once more, not showing her disgust at Subaru's visible, growing madness.

Harboring a worried expression for the events ahead, Subaru opened his eyes, "T-then…Evacuating the village should be a priority…But it will take time. And unfortunately, we don't know if they will decide to attack in advance if they see us coming."

"It is not a possibility, it is certain." Priscilla waved her fan, replying immediately as if such a thing was but mere evidence for her, "As soon as they realize the arrival of our forces, they will see us as a threat to their plans. Retreating will not be an option, therefore only attack is left."

"All the more reason to divide our forces," he grunted as he nodded along with the princess's assessment. "They'll definitely attack the village before going up to the mansion…"

"Wait here bro," Al coughed in a surprised voice, "defending a village against a cultist raid already sounds tough. You want to add the mansion in this too?"

Wincing in confusion, Subaru grunted, "It's not that far from it…! Just consider it to be part of the village too!"

"Doesn't your Margrave have any defense? Can't they take care of the mansion while we deal with the village?"

Subaru sighed with a hand on his forehead, pointing towards the maid at his side, "He sure does, and here she is…"

Al remained silent, the movement of his helmeted head going back and forth between Subaru and Rem translating his thoughts.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Me and my elder sister are the maids and guards of the Roswaal domain," taking a more courtly voice, Rem spoke for both Aldebaran and Priscilla to understand, "while we are but few in numbers, our lord made sure to introduce us to various ways of combat to assure his protection."

"...And the village?" Al replied in a nonplussed tone, "from what I heard, there's just two of you. Who's in charge of the village?"

While Rem's silence gave the answer away for the baroness and her jester, it was not the case for Subaru who failed to notice the disappointment in Aldebaran.

"The villagers? Who else do you want it to be?" he squinted his eyes, finding this question absurd.

"Subaru-kun…!" Rem tried to intervene, visibly ashamed.

"How foolish of you," the baroness lightly shook her head, "you seem to know very little about your lord's duties. For such an 'esteemed' servant, I believe this gives a bad image."

Subaru remained confused, his eyes glancing to Rem in research for answers.

"Your Margrave, as the lord of these lands, have a duty to care and protect the villagers, commoner," Priscilla explained in a haughty, and discontent voice, "however it seems like he failed to do this much. How fitting, an incompetent lord for an incompetent candidate."

"I would kindly ask you to not insult lord Roswaal-sama, Priscilla-sama." Rem glared at the princess, holding her wrath once more.

"I will do as I see fit, maid," she replied unimpressed, "if you are able to disprove my statement, then do so. Yet, if you dislike mine words and the truth they hold, you can either step out of mine carriage, or leave this world full of realities you will not be able to face."

"There's no need to go this far…" even though he had to remain composed, Subaru couldn't help but let his resentment slip out of his mouth.

Rem kept glaring at the baroness, her blue eyes full of anger against her uncaring red ones.

"Okay, well. What if they decided to divide their forces and attack the village and the mansion at the same time?" In an attempt to break this sour mood, Al decided to continue his conversation.

"For that, I have another plan which could counter…well, which could hopefully counter everything," Subaru continued, his face growing much darker. "Their leader ... Petelgeuse."

Priscilla frowned in dissatisfaction -or disgust- when she saw the expression on his face once more. She understood immediately that he felt a kind of hatred in relation to the person who was named Petelgeuse because of a past they could share, and such thoughts were not foreign to her. But her distaste for unbecomingness remained. Up until now Priscilla had been very patient with the constant repugnance this boy kept displaying every now and then. Surely she was seeking some sort of entertainment from this expedition, but to travel with a commoner losing his mind and an obsessed maid was perhaps a bit too much even with wanting to kill her boredom.

"He's the one leading this attack ... If we kill him, we have a chance to thwart their plans…" He concluded, trying to keep his anger for himself.

"If this man is their leader, I suppose he is more powerful than his minions?" Priscilla resumed, trying to brush off her distaste.

"Definitely…" Subaru said in a painful voice, remembering his last loop… and Rem. "That's why I would need the strongest among us to take care of him."

"I see." Priscilla answered, "So tell me. What should we do about him?"

"Before it all begins," Subaru responded immediately. "I know where he is hiding. While the biggest of our troops defend the village, I can lead the best of the army to him…And kill him before we start this operation."

"So if I recapitulate, you want to evacuate the village, defend the village, eventually defend the mansion, and attack them before they themselves attack?" Al thought out loud, counting on his fingers each step of this plan, "Seems like a hell of a lot to me."

"It is not," Priscilla continued, closing her fan. "If we kill their leader before the evacuation even begins, we will confuse their ranks and put the situation in our advantage."

"If Petelgeuse dies, they probably won't know how to proceed. It's possible they just forget about the plan and try to get the most blood out of this, no matter the cost…" Subaru mused out loud, feeling his fists shake, "but perhaps this could also be another advantage for us. It would be easier to take them down if they're confused and disorganized, right?"

"Hey, are we running on the assumption that they're all so stupid?" Nonplussed, Al pointed out to both Subaru and his master, "what if they all know the drill and have back up plans if ever anything goes south?"

"Hmpf. These are just dogs waiting patiently for orders, Al." Priscilla sighed, "Their very will to fight is rooted from a blinded obsession towards their abhorrent silver-haired witch. Such people live in denial of ever facing failure so long as they follow the will of what they idolize…I shall prove them wrong. Their very world, and the slight fallacious glimmering light of hope they see in that old, disgusting half-elf will be crushed under mine heel."

All were taken aback by the sudden wrath she held in her voice. As if she had herself, a personal vendetta with the witch cult. Of course there was nothing of the sort, rather, it was the type of people that these cultists were.

"I still feel like we shouldn't underestimate these guys princess," Al scratched his helmet, "what if they're stronger than we think?"

"It matters not, as I will accept nothing but a victory as an outcome. What they are, who they are and their capabilities matters little, as the world shall bend to my will."

"So if I recapitulate again…As we get to the village, one group goes to kill the Petel-guy, another group prepares to defend the village, while another group evacuates it…All the while making sure they don't go up the mansion…" Al grumbled under his helmet, not liking this entire thing one bit, "I guess we'll have to do our best."

"What you gave me in regards to our objective is satisfactory," Priscilla said in a content voice, "We shall protect your village and save its people. Mineself garanties it."

Even if he thought it would be difficult to turn back now that they were making their way north, hearing the crimson princess acknowledge him and confirm her intention filled Subaru with a feeling of relief.

He remembered what he had to live every time he closed his eyes. And those memories would certainly haunt him for a long time, along with the thoughts of all those he couldn't save and died by the cult's hand.

Normally, going through this much pain would be enough to break a person. Yet somehow, Subaru Natsuki was still standing, perhaps driven by hatred towards Petelgeuse, or the will to make things right.

In the life of anyone, hope stays one of the most important feelings. Hope is what manages to keep one's will to fight. One's will to live. Without hope, there is nothing that pushes a person to keep going, to not give up, to live.

And just when Subaru's hope was about to break, it managed to come back with enough force to keep him on track, all thanks to the baroness of the Barielle lands.

With her, he believed he had a chance to save them. He believed he had a chance to win, and to put an end to Petelgeuse. To save Emilia, and all the others.

Priscilla did what no one yet managed to do, she gave him hope.

"Mh?" The fiery princess hummed, breaking the boy out of his thoughts as he stared at her, "what is it?"

"...I'm thankful to you." He said in a weak, almost relieved voice to everyone's surprise.

Priscilla's eyes widened, carefully observing the boy's attitude she somehow found to be satisfying.

"Do not thank me yet," She answered, turning her eyes towards the window of the carriage. "Remember you and I are bound to a deal."

Subaru's breathing hitched as he remembered their terms, an uneasy feeling rising in his heart before her confidence. He certainly believed that he knew Emilia enough to know how this would go, but knowing most of their actions here were based on the hypothetical world always bending its knee to the fiery candidate…

"I am sorry but…" Rem intervened, looking at the princess, "What kind of deal are you talking about?"

"Oh? Your companion did not tell you?" Priscilla smirked, eyeing him.

"Actually, I don't know about it either. Gotta say I'm curious." Al admitted, interested to know about the situation.

"It's really nothing important!" Subaru replied loudly. "This won't happen anyway!"

"The more you convince yourself, the more it will hurt when you will face the truth of your own actions." Priscilla cut him in a sudden bored tone, glancing at the maid at his side.

"You aren't really doubting yourself either…" Subaru pointed out, trying to stay self assured. "Aren't we both in the same case..?"

"Oh?" She began to smile wide, "You believe that you and I are in the same situation?"

Subaru simply stayed silent.

"I see, then you are most definitely a lost cause."

Truth be told, Subaru had no idea how to deal with this woman. Most of the time when he meets someone, he tries to see what kind of person he is facing as most people would. Everyone has a personality that, at the very least, can be named. A behavior that can be understood, and thus the human mind adapts in order to know what would be the best to do, or not, with these people around.

But Priscilla Barielle...Was alien to him. There was very little he could understand from her, even if he tried his hardest to put himself in her shoes, or to see eye to eye with her.

How could someone be constantly so self-assured? Did she really never face failure at least once in her life?

"Subaru-kun…" seeing the black-haired boy staring at nothing, lost in his thoughts," Perhaps you should rest for a bit, you seem very tired…"

"Maybe…"

"We're going to be on the road for a while," Al replied, encouraging Subaru to rest if he needed to with a wave of his hand, "if you want to take a nap, go ahead."

Nodding in response, Subaru decided to listen to Rem and Al, as he took the most comfortable sitting position he could find, and closed his eyes.

From her position, Priscilla took one last look in his direction, pensive, curious... She knew already that he was hiding something, that he was not revealing all he knew. Although she didn't like the attitude itself, a part of her whispered that she shouldn't try to find out more for the moment, that acting the way she was doing now would offer her much more.

But for now, what she felt towards this boy was a little more than interest, after he had managed to surpass her expectations when she put him face to face with her foot, making more than an exotic and humiliating request, already seeing in his eyes that he would fail to meet her expectations...And yet.

And yet he refused. He decided to remain in control of his pride and in doing so, took his place among the few who had ever managed to impress the baroness.

Impress? Or rather, surprise?

Intrigue was also a good word.

And that's why Priscilla Barielle, for one of the few times in her life, had a very specific thought in mind for the young man who seemed to defy the world and she, the princess for whom it has been designed.

"Do not disappoint me." her gaze leaving Subaru to rest on the window at her side, she wordlessly made this request, this order.

And Subaru Natsuki would have no choice but to obey.

"Sleep..."

Plunging into the darkness, a voice echoed. This one was familiar, but also very strange...Like distorted, powerful...

"Sleep..."

He repeated his request again, resonating in his mind and soul. Subaru quickly understood that it was addressed to him.

"Sleep..."

His body suddenly began to feel, and the first thing he felt was cold.

A freezing cold, a cold like no other. It was not only his skin, nor his bones, nor his blood, but his whole being that was frozen, so much so that he could swear something as immaterial as his soul felt this supernatural cold.

As he felt it devouring him, his diverse senses woke up more and more, as if fate was making sure that Subaru had no respite.

He wanted to scream, to shout, to ask for help, to cry, to express his agony...Or perhaps to be able to do something, anything, other than feel this cold, this pain.

In which he was drowning. In which he suffocated with no hope of rising to the surface.

He could not move, his limbs were frozen.

He could not hear, his eardrums were blocked.

He could not smell, his nostrils were numb.

He could not taste, his tongue was in pieces.

He could not touch, his fingers were not even part of his body.

All his senses were paralyzed, like a statue in time. And while in such a situation pain could not be felt...

He felt everything. Absolutely everything.

And as he wanted to scream, breaking his lips with a crack like a glass, opening his jaw as wide as he could while pushing the last strength he had...

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

He was doomed to suffer this pain...until the end.

"Sleep...By my daughter's side..."

"...!"

With a heavy breath, as if he had just risen from the water, Subaru opened his eyes a second time, keeping a hand on his chest and patting several parts of his body.

When he realized that all was well, his breathing finally began to calm down, as well as his spirits, which finally allowed him to see the crimson figure sitting before him.

The only thing he saw in front of him were the black thighs of the baroness. He slowly raised his eyes to meet hers, staring at the young boy with a look he could not describe.

Priscilla seemed to be facing something that she found extremely disappointing...But that seemed to intrigue her even in a small way, enough to not admonish him on the spot.

"..." Subaru opened his mouth, trying to break the silence, before realizing that he had nothing to say, until he realized that there was no one else but him and Priscilla in that carriage.

"Where are Al-san and Rem...?" In a shy way, he addressed the candidate.

"Outside. They are helping to set up campment for tonight." She answered dryly, not taking her eyes off the boy.

Glancing outside, Subaru then noticed the various soldiers preparing tents and campfires to bivouac, the sun already set.

"I-I see..." he cleared his throat, "I'll go help them..."

"You will not be of any help," positioning one of her legs over the other and crossing her arms under her ample chest, Priscilla cut the boy off as he got out of the car, "they are almost done already. The maid is certainly preparing food with the few people able to assist her, your presence would only distract her and slow down her duties."

"...I am a servant at the Mathers estate...I can certainly help with the cooking..." Subaru tried to argue, to no avail.

"If there is one thing I despise more than most, commoner, it is repeating myself." with a dangerous look, she ordered him to sit back down.

Seeing no other alternatives, Subaru stepped back, and took his seat in front of the baroness.

"..."

A brief moment passed, while Priscilla did nothing but watch the young man. She was examining him from head to toe, with a pressure in her gaze like none other. It was impossible to say what she had in the back of her head, obviously. Certainly there was a reason for her to act this way.

Was she waiting for a reaction? An answer? A question perhaps? Or even nothing at all?

Impossible to know for the young boy, and this fact filled him with great frustration.

What should he do? What should he say?

"C-Come on! You don't need to stare through me like that, I'll feel like I did you wrong!" willing to break the silence by any means necessary, Subaru suddenly raised his voice in a joking manner, smiling wide.

Priscilla's expression didn't change one bit, which didn't reassure Subaru.

"E-erm…"

Now he looked more panicked than embarrassed, surely there has to be a way to get a reaction out of the fiery lady?

" I don't think she'd have kept me here without any ideas at the back of her head…" He thought to himself, trying to regain a certain composure.

"When mineself met you for the first time, what were mine words concerning these mannerisms of yours?" She finally broke her silence, her eyes squinting to the black-haired boy from her seat, "answer carefully."

"...The first time we..." Searching in the mess that was his mind, while also pondering on what she meant precisely, Subaru did his best to find the moment she seemed to request.

It's not like Subaru forgot the tumultuous adventure he spent with the fiery candidate, his good memory was one of the few things he could be satisfied with after all. Rather, it was the cumulation of all the events he lived through his return by death, along with the nightmare he just had, which clouded his mind through and through.

However, even overwhelmed by these memories that he could not control, he managed to concentrate, and in the middle of this mist, put a finger on the memory of his last face to face with the crimson princess.

"..." Subaru didn't say anything at first, as he tried to assemble the meaning of her demand to their confrontation, his confused eyes slowly rising to meet Priscilla's, awaiting her answer.

Seeing him look back at her, Priscilla deduced that he had an answer at the tip of his tongue..

"Out with it." Strict, cold, the baroness certainly was faithful to her reputation of a ruthless woman, as she urged Subaru to spill out the words he hesitated so much to let out.

"You told me…That I was hiding myself in a shell…" the black-haired boy hesitantly spoke, his voice low, still thinking of the Princess's goal behind this.

"While it is far from a perfect answer, it shall be enough coming from the likes of you," fanning herself as she began to relax in her seat. Subaru didn't know that, had he failed to provide such an answer, his fate would have met another end to his book here.

Priscilla kept her stare at the boy still uneasy of this atmosphere, "Mineself told you how this jester-like behavior was nothing but a thin shell in which you concealed your weakness."

"..."

"It would of course be different, would you at least have anything close to the ability of concealing your true feelings," she rested her face on her hand to show her ennui, "but you were not gifted with such skill, if you were even gifted with anything at all."

"...You've really got a thing about openly insulting people eh…?" feeling disrespected, Subaru could only grit his teeth and keep his true thoughts to himself.

"I have a habit of describing what I see," she corrected him, "and alas, it seems like mine eyes have been cursed with such a pathetic sight. It quite sours my mood on this fine evening."

"You-"

"When one realizes a flaw within him, his future endeavors should be directed towards the removal of it," her voice gradually taking a sterner, and harsher tone, Priscilla kept showing some sort of disappointment for the boy," yet here you are…Still the same, sad, little man than you already were the day I led my eyes upon you.."

Subaru never had any disillusionments concerning this woman. He knew the only way to properly describe her was a horrible person, someone who would try to sting you where it hurts and enjoy doing so with a sadistic grin. Yet here it was worse than it has ever been, since he couldn't even defend himself.

The princess held an undeniable truth concerning himself, but… Subaru still possessed a sense of pride which didn't combine well with being looked down upon, if not insulted, by Priscilla.

"...Mind your own business…" With a barely perceivable growl, Subaru uttered under his breath, averting his eyes from her in disgust, "you know nothing of me. You know nothing of what I had to go through, nor what I had to see! I don't know if you're trying to act like you care, or if it's just your ways of feeling good about yourself, but don't talk about me like you know me." .

Priscilla's expression didn't change. That display of pride, or force, had nothing in it which impressed her enough to move even a finger.

"I see, so this is your decision this time," closing her eyes along with soft sigh of disappointment, Priscilla closed her fan and turned her eyes towards the camp outside of her carriage's window, "do not expect me to pity you, clearly, you do not show any worth of mine time."

"...!" suddenly feeling his chest aching in panic, believing he was just about to lose the only help he finally managed to acquire, Subaru's eyes widened in horror as he opened his mouth in alarm, catching the princess' attention.

"This isn't...This isn't what I wanted to say but…" he blinked several times as he struggled to find the words, "this is complicated…Way more than you think…"

"Do you believe there is anything complicated for mineself to understand, when it comes to a commoner like you?" She commented off-handily, "I just need to lay mine eyes on the capital during the day to see hundreds like you walking by."

"And you think you're one of a kind?" Subaru wished to suppress these words, but his frustration finally got the better of him, "a haughty, noble woman who sees everything in the world aside from her as ants…How original."

"Mh…Very well," Priscilla turned back to the bow, crossing her arms under her generous bosom, "Then I shall hear it. Mineself will be the judge of such complexity from you. Tell me why did I find you whining in your sleep. Tell me why you are so different from what I claimed you to be."

"You wouldn't understand anyways…Even if I tried, there's simply no way," Subaru clenched his fist as he breathed out heavily, "you just…You wouldn't get it."

Slightly exasperated, Priscilla snorted with no sympathy towards the boy's desperate attempts to avoid any kind of explanations. How he behaved or his actions was no concern of hers, and not interesting in the slightest either. However, what managed to tick her off without necessarily being intentional from Subaru, was his way of underestimating her.

In a way, he was being honest as she requested, but still he managed to upset her.

"What is there to understand? How do you so thoroughly hide your pain, struggle and fear behind that crumbling facade of yours, believing you would preserve anyone from your own worthlessness?"

For a moment, Subaru felt as if the world had stopped around him, as the voice of the baroness echoed inside of the carriage and his mind, processing what he was just told.

"You believe to stand over a hill where no one can notice you, holding what you believe to be great achievements that should be recognized because of how much you 'sacrificed' to reach this place, but you are doing nothing but lying to yourself and believe such a lie," her voice grew colder, crueler, "you are the victim of your own deceit, obsessed with your greed and unable to see the truth."

"You…" Subaru's voice trembled, overwhelmed with confusion.

"Do not even fathom the thought of your mind as anything 'complex' for someone like mineself to understand ever again, half-wit's servant," swiftly opening her fan once more, she gazed at the crippled figure of the boy, "even though there is not merit into reading something as trivial as an animal's mind, I suppose this should be enough for you to know your place."

"...Is that so," getting himself back together, struggling to calm his heartbeat, Subaru frowned slightly while poorly hiding his sudden resentment towards the crimson princess, "I guess you really think of yourself higher than anything that lives."

"Why would I 'think' something that is mere fact?" Priscilla laughed out loud, "Do not tell me that you are unable to see this much as well? Take a moment to look at yourself, and mineself."

"Where I come from, people go from the basis that we are all somewhat equal," Subaru explained effortlessly, speaking while knowing his words wouldn't reach her anyways, "sorry if I'm a bit slow over here, I didn't really assimilate in this new atmosphere."

"Either you are a fool, or blind," the princess went a bit forward, closing her fan and resting her chin on her hand, "there is nothing such as 'equality' anywhere. It is certainly wiser to accept your position rather than struggling in vain for such a futile belief."

"..."

While Priscilla expected the boy to show even more of his animosity towards her, she found herself slightly surprised to see him look at her with something more akin to curiosity.

"Go ahead, speak your mind." She found herself puzzled by his reaction, and thus Priscilla decided to allow, or rather urge, Subaru to speak.

"Well…I mean, I don't think it's futile to think that everyone is somehow…equal," he began to speak, thinking of his words at the same time in hope to properly explain his point," in a way, we're all born similar. Rather, it's our experiences and the world around us that…Changes us into believing some are higher or lower…"

Honestly, Subaru himself didn't know what he was talking about at the moment. He didn't know if it made any sense, for the princess or for himself. It was just the words he thought which left his mouth, with hope for the baroness to understand their meaning.

"Such boorish statements coming from such a foolish child," she narrowed her eyes, speaking in a voice which yet hinted interest.

"I…Guess that's your way of saying I'm wrong?"

"No, you surely hold a part of the truth in your words," she began to smile slightly, "however it remains an oblivious one."

"Well I'm sorry." He replied with a scoff, not willing to further this discussion.

"Now I wonder, will you continue on this thin, uninteresting line, taking the risk of losing the last bit of worth you hold for mineself…"

Subaru's body tensed up immediately as she pronounced those words, feeling the cold sweat coming back right away. Regarding how she behaved until now and Al's previous statement, it was clear for him that Priscilla was a wild card whose mood could change in an instant regarding what she would encounter, and it meant far worse than anything he could imagine right now.

It meant every miss-step from him could potentially lead to coming back to square one.

"Or will you do what would be best suited for you, and speak about the matter I ordered you to?"

"I-"

He stopped himself from going further, taking a second to think, and changed his mind.

"I had a nightmare," Seeing no alternative as he found himself cornered, Subaru resolved himself to do what he was told, "about what we are about to do…About…I-If we fail...-"

"So, you still hold the thought of 'failure' being a possibility?" She cut the boy's words in a strict voice, "I suppose I should not be surprised."

"…I really don't know in what environment you grew up in, but things don't always go to plan," he retorted, the memories flashing in his mind, "sometimes the worst can happen, anything! You don't expect it, and-"

"There is nothing to expect, outside of mine triumph," she cut him again, this time with a much more humorless and grave voice, "if mine will is to succeed in this operation, then the world shall heed to my desire. Should you understand that, perhaps you would avoid these pitiful thoughts."

"I really can't understand you…"

"As if I would expect anyone of your kind to do so."

"No, not that," Subaru shook his head, "I get that everything in your life was handed over to you on a golden plate. But being this overconfident, that's really overkill…."

Priscilla raised an eyebrow of surprise hearing the last word of the boy, it was a peculiar word she had never heard of, but somehow was familiar to her.

"I mean, being always so sure of everything to happen in a way you predicted, isn't it an open door to be completely devastated, if not worse when one day things go south for you? You know, the higher you climb, the harder the fall…"

"The higher I climb?" the princess repeated to herself, her eyes wandering off the boy as she fell in deep thoughts.

A long minute of silence suddenly took place inside the carriage. Subaru didn't dare break this wordless moment, may it be to avoid interrupting the baroness in her inner thought process, or by fear of further continuing this discussion and being driven in a corner once more.

When the lady suddenly clicked her tongue and looked back at the boy, her expression seemed way more intrigued than before. It was impossible to tell if her gaze was positive or not, but still the boy felt that at least, for this brief moment, he was not looked down upon.

"You believe a great pain awaits the one who stands tall?" She tried to understand his thoughts.

"...More like, the more you stand tall, the more blind you become of what happens around you," he joined his hands together, looking on the ground as he recalled a far more distant memory, "you only think about the top, and that's the only thing you see. So you keep going…You keep doing what works for you…"

Taking a small pause, Subaru closed his eyes.

He saw a group of young children running under the night sky of Japan, laughing together as one led them.

"Everything just seems perfect, you don't want it to change…Actually you don't even think about any changes, why would you?" his lips twitched, "so you keep going…And then…"

He was unable to smile as he spoke from his heart, and Priscilla saw it. For one of the few times in her life, the baroness was listening to someone with great care and attention.

Why? She didn't bother to ask herself such a question. It was what she felt she should do.

Subaru shook his head, taking a slight inspiration, "and when you look back, you realize that everyone you've been walking the wire with…Are just gone."

"..."

"Yeah," he breathed out loudly, "and when you realize you're left alone…It's already-"

"Too late." Priscilla finished at his place, the words slipping out of her mouth without her noticing.

"..." Subaru looked at her in surprise.

"Well, well, you're revealing yourself more entertaining than I thought," with a tone that one could consider to be amical, while her face remained one of interest, Priscilla continued, "Your company might be less bothersome than I presumed."

"..."

Strangely, Subaru felt at ease. His visage was expressionless, but right now just like Priscilla, his mind didn't harbor any negative feeling towards her.

He felt like she understood him. Not in a haughty manner nor to insult him back using his own words. It wasn't a princess hearing out a commoner.

It felt like Priscilla Barielle listened to what Subaru Natsuki had to say.

"Subaru-kun, Priscilla-sama," the door opened, as the blue-haired maid called both of them, "the dinner is ready and the campment is set, please join us."

Nodding his head, Subaru stood up to follow Rem outside of the carriage.

His face looking up to the cloudless night sky, he began to unconsciously smile as he found himself mesmerized by the beauty of the stars, emitting shining lights from within the endless dark void.

"Man, I wish I could just kick back and stargaze instead of racing against fate," he whispered to himself clenching his fist, "when everything will be over…I will be sure to do it."

He was taken out of his thoughts by the sound of Priscilla's high-heel against the carriage's step.

"Ah, here," he said as he stepped forward, presenting his hand to the baroness who was about to come down.

Priscilla raised her eyes to see his hand, glancing back and forth between him and his outstretched palm.

She then promptly ignored it, and stepped down off the carriage herself, walking towards the camp while leaving the boy alone with his raised hand.

"...Right." he grumbled, turning his hand into a fist before turning around.

"Let's just be done with it…" he walked forward, gazing towards the sky one last time, "I already miss you, Emilia…"

"Natsuki-san." a manly voice called, shaking the boy's shoulder.

"Gn…What…?"

"It is time to wake up sir," the man continued, "we are leaving in ten minutes. The princess demands of you to be ready in due time."

"What time is it…?" He grunted, opening his eyes as he saw the sun barely rising.

"It is about five am, Sir. Come on, it would be wiser to not upset Priscilla-sama if you ask me," the man tapped the boy's shoulder as he sat down on his sleeping pad, rubbing his eyes, "you have just enough time to eat something before we go if you stand up now."

Subaru nodded his head and agreed, stepping out of his pad as the guards around were already folding back his tent, along with the entire camp.

"Subaru-kun, over here!" Rem waved at him, a bowl of soup in her hands, "I have left one aside especially for you, eat it while it's still hot!"

Subaru smiled back at her and walked forward, covering a yawn with his hand as he looked around him with amazement at the speed with which the soldiers of the barony would tidy up the tents and furniture back in the carriages.

"Slept well bro?" Al commented, cracking his neck with his hand, "looks like you ain't completely with us yet."

Subaru stopped in his tracks to stare at the man with a concerned look, "did you…Did you sleep with that on?"

"With what?" Al replied.

"...N-nah, nothing…" he cleared his throat, turning back towards Rem and taking his bowl of soup.

"Do you feel well-rested enough, Subaru-kun?" she smiled at him while cleaning the pot and other cooking utensils, "thankfully, you fell asleep quite fast yesterday night."

"Yeah, I was dead tired with everything we went through yesterday," he rubbed the back of his neck, "mh…For how long are you awake, Rem?"

"I woke up about an hour ago to prepare a brief breakfast for everyone," she replied, "I was careful to be the least noisy possible so I wouldn't hinder your much needed rest!"

"...I appreciate it but it just makes me feel like I'm the worst guy here!" He looked back at his already gone tent, where he and Rem spent the night, " I really woke up later than everyone else…"

"Why would you feel bad about this?" the maid felt bad upon seeing Subaru's guilty expression, "we all had a duty to wake up earlier! If Rem could, you can be sure she would have preferred to stay laid down under the tent looking at Subaru-kun's sleeping face for more hours!"

"Look at wha-"

"Hey, ya got a little bit more for me lady?" The one-armed helmeted man sat down near Subaru, as Rem happily handed him a bowl of soup, "thanks!"

As he slightly raised his helmet to bring the bowl to his mouth, Subaru noticed several scars on his chin, cheek and lips, making him gasp in surprise, "what the hell…?"

"You don't think I wear that on my head just for fashion, don't you?" Al chuckled, raising his helmet just a little bit more so he could show even more of these to the boy, without going further enough to see his nose, "I don't have a pretty face bro, so I'd rather keep it away from sights."

"What happened to you…?" Subaru couldn't help but ask, wondering what kind of hell this man had to go through to gain such scars.

"Eh…" he sighed, finishing the rest of his bowl in one go, "you got lucky with how you ended up here. Not everyone got the same chance bro."

"..."

Now he remembered. It slipped out of his mind for a while but Aldebaran was just like him, as he admitted himself a few days ago.

He was a man summoned into this world. The only one who could, in a way, understand Subaru's agony more than anyone else…And even perhaps more than what the boy originally thought.

At first, he couldn't consider the way he was summoned in Lugunica as "lucky'' considering the tumultuous events of the first day in the capital. Being gutted by a renowned psychopathic serial killer wasn't the greatest welcome he had witnessed.

But Aldebaran and his case, made it look as strange as it was…That it could have been far worse. Not that he didn't expect this world to be easy to live in after the few months and misadventures he went through in such a short time, but still.

Did this mean he should have been thankful for how he started off?

"Alright, camp is stored in the carriages," a soldier exclaimed, looking at Aldebaran and Subaru,"we're good to go lads."

Finishing his bowl as he handed it over to Rem, Subaru stood up to go towards the carriage, before Al stopped him, "Nope, not this one bro. We're getting in the other one this time."

Al pointed out to a guard's carriage, to Subaru's surprise it seemed like he wouldn't be sharing a ride with the baroness again.

"Don't look at me like that, I got no idea," the helmeted man shrugged as he walked towards the guard's carriage, "she just didn't feel like having company this time, it happens."

To his own surprise, Subaru didn't really pay any mind to it and followed Al, thinking that it was even all for the better considering how uncomfortable he felt yesterday for the most part by sitting with the princess.

"Come on boys," one guard stretched out his hand to help them get in at the back of the carriage.

Finally, when Rem finished storing the cooking set, she joined them at the back of the military carriage where Subaru, Al and a bunch of soldiers were sitting.

"We're all here! Let's not waste any more time!" Another guard told the driver, tapping the carriage's wooden side.

There were six carriages in total. Four were solely dedicated to the transport of troops, with twelve men in each, at the beginning and end of the convoy, while at the middle was one transporting most of the supplies, and the baroness' own carriage.

In short, a small army of around fifty soldiers, along with Subaru, Al, Rem and Priscilla. All heading to evacuate a village, defend its citizens, and save the Roswaal mansion.

"I don't even know if this will be enough, but…" he remembered the dead bodies of villagers, "this is still better than nothing."

Subaru didn't think there would be a limit of troops he would have wished to bring along with them in this expedition. It wasn't about "the more the merrier" but rather a question of overcoming any eventual obstacles with as much manpower as possible.

"So where do you come from, Sir? If I may, you've got quite the unusual face and attire!" One of the soldiers at his left asked Subaru, "I don't remember seeing anything like that in Lugunica!"

He was quite old, perhaps in his mid thirties.

"Well, I'm from a country far away from here…" Subaru answered without giving too much details, "at the far east."

"Far east? You're from the sand dunes?" He raised an eyebrow in interest, "that explains why I never saw your type of clothes!"

"You never set foot in the far east? You talk about a veteran," another soldier seated in front of them next to Al, much younger, shook his head.

"Oi! What's that? I might be a brave soldier but I ain't stupid enough to go anywhere near that cursed place!" He berated the younger one.

"And you talk about bravery?"

"There's bravery and suicide!"

"Eh, I wouldn't mock the guy for caring for his own life pal," Al nudged the younger soldier's shoulder, "it's already something that he's willing to be on the frontlines, don't ask him madness either."

"See?! This one's smart! Take example, you'll learn a lesson or two!" the man grunted with a movement of his hand towards him, "youngsters these days…"

"So…" Subaru asked the soldier at his side, "you guys are veterans working for the barony?"

"Aye, most of us are from the Lugunican army," the man replied, "including that brat over there."

"You were knights of the kingdom?" Rem tilted her head, trying to understand.

"Not knights, never reached that title," the younger one sighed, "wasn't rich enough. Even though I fought more in my first month patrolling in a demi-human city than any of these damn white cloaks did in all their years of knighthood."

While he had humor in his voice, Subaru could definitely hear a hint of resent, and disgust in it.

"You wanted to be a knight…?" Subaru questioned, as the young soldier lightly swung his head from left to right.

"Well at the beginning it's everyone's dream when you enter the military," he sighed as he shrugged, "but then you realize that's just a fancy title. These guys are just here to look good and do parades."

"Ahahahahahah! Quit being a spiteful kid! You'd still join them if they allowed you to!" The older man laughed out loud.

"Nah! I don't need that to be proud of my own battle feats any more!" he pointed to himself, "I mean look! I'm here, you're here! But I ain't seeing any damn royal knights of the kingdom! Hell, even a maid's here!"

Every soldier in the carriage began to laugh at his remarks, Subaru and Al included, minus Rem who wished to keep some sort of professionalism of the maid etiquette.

"Seriously, these guys need to up their game! When it comes to beating a kid in a coliseum everyone's around! But to go and actually protect a village from the witch cult?! Nah man, I got some choreography to be sure my sword hits the ground at the right time when someone calls my title," The guard snorted while shaking his head, not going easy on how spiteful he was towards the royal guards, "damn freaks.".

While everyone shared a laugh once more, Subaru was a bit more reserved. He knew at this point the whole kingdom had learned about his fight with Julius, especially the armed corps. And even if he still felt a bit resentful towards the purple-haired great knight, this young soldier managed to make him at least smile.

"It's alright kid," the old man at his side tapped his shoulder, "we'll go kill them cultists. And when we'll be back, you'll shove your victory to that bright knight's face."

Subaru widened his eyes in surprise to the old man, as he understood what was happening.

"Just imagine! The little kid of the selection saved an entire village, a Margrave and a royal candidate from the witch cult, doing the royal guard's job while they were busy blowing each-other in the barracks!" he laughed at his own joke.

Subaru didn't know what to say. The last thing he expected was to bond with these soldiers, and even less for them people to be so friendly…But yet here they were, trying to cheer him up.

In fact, he already prepared for this ride to be long and silent, comparing them to the lady they served. But these soldiers were making him laugh, reassured and more relaxed about the fight to come.

He was laughing and smiling with them, his stress being barely felt, something which made the maid just next to him as happy as he was, and thankful to these soldiers.

"Can I ask you a question?" Subaru told the man at his side, "why…Or rather, how did you end up serving Priscilla-sama?"

"We always lived on the Barielle lands, but I'm telling you...This place had nothing to envy with hell before," he grunted while remembering his old days, "it was a wasteland if anything."

Subaru carefully listened, intrigued by what he meant by "wasteland."

"Before Priscilla-sama, Leip-sama was-"

"A douchebag." The younger one blurted out, earning some snorts and laughs in the carriage.

"That too," he pointed to his comrade, "but he was our previous lord. A guy who didn't give two fucks about us and just took our taxes to shit in golden toilets."

"So…Priscilla's arrival…?"

"She saved us kid," the old man smiled, "I'm sure you saw how green and flourishing the land was from when we went up the hill."

Subaru nodded his head as he remembered the sight.

"That's all thanks to her." the soldier whispered with a smile, "don't be deceived by her attitude too much, she isn't as bad as she looks."

Subaru slowly raised his eyes to have a look at all the soldiers at the back, who all smiled and nodded their heads to him, agreeing with what the old man was saying.

Then, Subaru turned towards Al, a great surprise clear in his eyes.

"Told ya, they owe her a lot." Al snorted from under his helmet.

"...Looks like I really had the wrong idea…" he whispered to himself with a pensive look, glancing down at Rem who seemed as surprised as he was.

"Priscilla-sama doesn't really give the impression of such a caring individual," she uttered to him, "but I guess we shouldn't judge a book by its cover?"

Rem was half right, and half wrong. Perhaps Priscilla was a very competent ruler, but most of the prejudices Subaru had against her were somewhat justified when he remembered his talk of yesterday with the baroness.

Yet, Subaru had to admit there was far worse in his mind when it came to her.

"Looks like I owe her an apology…" he sighed as he leaned his back against the carriage wall.

"I didn't really have any idea of how Priscilla-sama operated with her domain, if I am honest." Rem replied with an innocent smile, "but I surely wouldn't have guessed something akin to that."

"I thought she was the kind to extort her people and execute anyone who tried to argue with her in a very gruesome way." Subaru spoke his mind with a blank expression.

"T-That might be a bit too much!" Rem stuttered.

Smiling at her cute reaction, Subaru exhaled in frustration, gazing outside the carriage where he could see the sun rising up in the sky.

"We're still in for two days…" he thought to himself, "Two days…"

"Ram…Emilia…Beako…" His hand went closer to Rem, taking her hand in his, to her surprise, "please…Hang in there…"

"Have any of you ever fought witch cultists before?" Glancing to his side, Al decided to ask the soldiers.

"I did." The only one to reply was the young soldier sitting next to Al.

"...What?" noticing everyone's gaze towards him, he uneasily exclaimed, "I'm not lying! I told you I fought more than the white cloaks in my first month!"

"You…Fought witch cultists?" Subaru was surprised, much like everyone else, "you don't seem to be…"

"Scared?" the soldier scoffed, losing his cheerful attitude, "trust me there would be a lot of reasons to be freaking out facing them."

Everyone leaned closer to listen to what he had to say.

"You know in the army the first thing they teach you about the enemy is always Vollachia. How the armies there, don't even know what 'mercy' means. Nearly all madmen, given a sword and sent to battle. Sometimes not even able to discern their own allies from their enemies, and if they gutted a brother in arms by accident they would just shrug it off as a bad day."

"Eh you don't know how right they are about this one," Al chuckled, remembering his own past.

Subaru blinked several times in shock, looking on his right and left silently to see if anyone else felt as taken aback as he was with such descriptions of people. He had never heard of Vollachia before, and for a first time it surely didn't make him want to visit.

"But the witch cult? Hell if they have anything to be ashamed of this empire…" He sighed in a somber voice, hinting at the pain he felt with these memories, "they don't know anything else but killing. Like they feed with blood and gruesomeness. Now I don't know if they get off with these kinds of things but they sure love to leave nothing behind them breathing. It has to be messy, it has to be disgusting, bloody, cruel…They have no morals, no pity, no humanity."

While most of the soldiers were grossed out at best by his words, Subaru and Rem went further than that. Both of them, with past experiences, could practically feel his words. They knew what he meant, they saw what he meant. And therefore both were filled with rage.

"I'll get you…" Subaru thought to himself, "I will make you pay for everything you did…"

"You got something personal against them kid?" The older soldier next to Subaru questioned, seeing how his face grew angrier.

"I do…" Subaru replied while trying to calm himself down, "and…I'll not back down until they pay for it."

"Well you can count me in for that," the youngest smiled, "I have some scores to settle as well. They'll feel this when we get there, don't worry."

Subaru smiled back at the soldier, glad that someone shared his hatred towards the witch cult. It was not to the same degree at all, but at the very least he was aware of what kind of people they were about to face.

And now, everyone in the carriage was as well. Perhaps the 'no mercy' rule was obvious considering the general feeling about the witch cult in this world, but at least now there was a certitude about such a rule for anyone thinking about showing compassion or making prisoners.

After some hours on the road, the carriage suddenly began to slow down, making everyone in the carriage on edge, mostly thinking it was perhaps an attack.

"What's going on over here?" One of the soldiers nearest to the driver seat asked.

"The baroness' carriage stopped near some merchants on the road," the driver told them, "Al, you go check it out?"

"Yeah, let's go bro." Al nodded at him to follow, which Subaru did after glancing at Rem who shrugged.

As they came closer, they noticed a gray-haired man standing with a few other merchants and their carriages waving at them.

"H-hey! What do you say about exchanging information?" He said to them," w-wow…I didn't notice but you guys have a pretty large convoy…"

"In what mess did you put us, Otto…" Another merchant whispered as he noticed the military men coming down from the carriages.

"H-hey! I didn't know! What are these guys?!"

Priscilla came down off her carriage, noticing Al, Subaru and Rem coming closer to her as they met with the group of merchants.

"What is it Princess?" Al asked her, as she promptly ignored him and walked closer to the gray-haired merchant.

"P-P-PRINCESS?!" Otto stammered, his eyes widening in fear, "This is one of the royal candidates!"

Gasps and noises of fear could be heard by the merchants behind Otto, at the realization of who was the woman standing before them.

"You," she said as she pointed to Otto.

"YES, PRISCILLA-SAMA!" He shouted without realizing, prostrating at the same time, "W-WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU?!"

Priscilla took a second to catatonically look at his prostrating position, even though one could possibly tell she was more annoyed than anything.

"What are you all doing here?" She asked them as she observed the group of merchants and their ground dragons.

"We…We had set up camp last night together here, and we were about to go back on the road once more before we noticed you…A-And…-"

"Are you all merchants?" She cut him.

"Y-yes, Priscilla-sama…Thanks to our network, some of us sometimes travel together to ensure more security from a city to another…" He explained with his forehead still on the ground, "b-by the way…If you happen to be interest-"

"Wait! You guys all travel together?" Subaru intervened, as he looked around at all the merchants and their carriages.

Priscilla stood quiet as she observed him, narrowing her eyes in interest to what he would do.

"We do indeed…" Otto said as he raised his head to meet with Subaru, "Oh! Would you perhaps be interested in making a bit of road with us, if ever we happen to go in the same direction?"

"Ah! You say that because you're so desperate to get rid of the storage of oil you bought out of season, right Otto?" One of the merchants laughed on the side.

"It's not my intention at all! Though, if you happened to be in need of a bit of oil…" Otto laughed nervously, rubbing his hands with an uneasy face.

"What's all this about oil?" Rem asked innocently from the side.

"Oh, I just made a bit of a mistake, and now I have a lot of oil that isn't worth much right now. Even if we go to the capital, I don't know if I can sell it all off… And if I can't, I'm ruined!" Otto let out a cry of despair as he slumped his shoulders in defeat.

Subaru looked at Otto as the realization hit him. He briefly glanced at Priscilla who raised an eyebrow in interest, and turned back to the merchant.

"Otto! I'll buy all the oil you have in your storage!" He exclaimed as Otto widened his eyes in happiness, "in exchange, lend us your carriage!"

"What the hell is he doing?" Al thought aloud from the side, which made Priscilla roll her eyes in annoyance.

"All of the merchants here! Whatever you have in your carriages, if you are willing to lend your transportation, I'll buy them, plus an extra! In return, you join our convoy, we are transporting people!" Subaru explained to all the merchants listening to him.

Otto quickly intervened. "People?! We don't want any part in human trafficking!"

"Wha-I'm not running that kind of side business!" Subaru sighed tiredly and shouted to the merchants once more, "There's a village near the Mathers mansion. I want you to take its residents somewhere else!"

Priscilla finally had a faint smile on her face, as Subaru managed to do exactly what she thought.

"We will of course reward you properly." Rem announced alongside Subaru, as she brought up a weighty bag full of holy coins, which left all the merchants in awe.

"Aaaah! I love it when business goes back on track so easily! Count me in!" Otto clapped his hands in relief of having saved his merchant career, "Ah, how may I call you?"

"My name is Natsuki Subaru, and I can't thank you enough for your help!" He said as he stretched his hand to the merchant.

"Otto Suwen! I'm the one who thanks you! You're practically saving me, Natsuki-san!"

"Now that things are settled, return to your carriages at have no time to waste." Priscilla ordered her troops and the merchants.

"Eh? You guys are in a hurry?" Otto asked Subaru, "wait, you're going to that village with so many troops…W-What is happening?"

"Long story short, the village is about to be attacked. We need you guys to evacuate the civilians while we prepare the defense…" Subaru explained to him, "we need to get there as fast as we can."

"Then we should take the route by the Lifaus Highway, Natsuki-san! The Mathers mansion is just northwest of it!" Otto replied, determined to help.

"I am afraid it will be difficult, Otto-sama. The white whale has been spotted in this area, it would be too dangerous to venture there…" Rem intervened to explain their situation, "we are taking the route around it, but unfortunately, it will take us close to 3 days…"

Otto widened his eyes as he heard about the white whale, realizing that the path of the Lifaus Highway was absolutely out of the question…But he then noticed the worried faces of both Subaru and Rem, visibly afraid of not making it in time for the village.

"No! There is a route shorter than that! Without going through the Lifaus Highway!" Otto replied, Subaru and Rem looking back at him with wide eyes.

"What?" Subaru uttered in disbelief.

"I can assure you! I know a shortcut which can lead us there faster! We would be able to have at least…One day in advance of the scheduled three days!"

Subaru immediately went forward to grab Otto's shoulders, earning a gasp from him, "are you sure about that?! Otto! You're being honest right now, right?!"

"Y-yes! You have my word, Natsuki-san! N-now please, release me!" He replied in fear, whining for the strength with which Subaru grabbed him.

"And how come you know about such a shortcut, merchant?" Priscilla went forward to ask him with a suspicious tone.

"Well, not that I know about it but…Rather, I have a blessing which allows me to…Find shortcuts while traveling, Priscilla-sama…" He uneasily corrected himself, feeling the pressure of the fiery princess.

While he was busy replying to the baroness, Subaru quickly perked up with Priscilla's suspicion and turned towards Rem, who looked him in the eyes and understood as well.

"Rem can't smell the scent on him, Subaru-kun, nor any of the merchants. This is certainly not a trap." She smiled at him, making him know this shortcut was genuine.

"Very well then, you shall lead us, merchant." She concluded, while looking at Subaru, Rem and Al, "you join him in his carriage, making sure everything is in order. If something is off, Aldebaran shall deal with you."

Otto shivered in place as he noticed the helmeted man waving at him, along with the sword he carried on his belt. "Y-yes!"

The merchants joined the convoy, positioning themselves in between two military ones, while Otto's carriage was in the top front, leading everyone through another passage off the road tracks.

"You sure that your…Blessing works, right Otto?" Seated next to him and visibly anxious about the unknown path they were taking, Subaru asked the merchant.

"Natsuki-san! I would appreciate it if you would stop doubting my divine blessing! It is the third time you are asking about it," Otto whined, feeling disrespected by his client, "is it really too much to ask you to trust me even a little?"

"I just met you on the roadside, Otto." Subaru replied, deadpanned.

"I know! But even then, I would not be as stupid as to risk the wrath of so many people, including a royal candidate!" Otto exclaimed.

"Okay you got a point here," Subaru laughed, trying to relax in his seat, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you…I'm just-"

"You're scared, Natsuki-san. And this is perfectly understandable," the merchant sighed with a smile on his face, "I don't blame you, I would be too in your case."

"...Right, thank you Otto." Subaru smiled back at him, leaning back with his head up to the sky, "it's only the afternoon uh…We've been riding for hours right now…"

"We should take a break soon, we will definitely reach the mansion tomorrow at this pace, counting the time we will take to sleep tonight," Otto reassured him.

"..."

"What is it?" Otto questioned, noticing how Subaru stared at him.

"No, I mean…It was really one hell of a stroke of luck to meet you on the road, Otto…" Subaru thought aloud, "someone with the ability to bring us to the village in a shorter time so we can prepare the defense and evacuate it without jumping in a fight…That's way too convenient…"

Subaru then turned towards Rem and Al at the back of the carriage. Rem was definitely sharing his thoughts according to the look she gave him. Al however, only laughed under his helmet, gaining the attention of the other three.

"I told you, didn't I bro? If the princess says it, it's already set in the rock."

"...That's…" Subaru widened his eyes, hearing the voice of Priscilla in his mind telling him how the world worked in her favor.

"So she was telling the truth…" Rem narrowed her eyes at Aldebaran in disbelief, "this is really hard to believe but…"

"It's a bit hard to deny it now," Al kept laughing, "ah, at some point you just get used to it."

Subaru turned back to the road, staring at nothing while lost in his thoughts. He couldn't believe that such a claim from her was truthful, and yet here they were…

"If it's true then…" He thought to himself, "that's bad…That's really bad…"

"Hum, Natsuki-san? What are you…Talking about? Is it Priscilla-sama?" Otto asked him.

"Priscilla…Kind of claimed that the world worked in her favor, all the time. That whatever she does will always result in something good for her." Subaru told him, still half in his thoughts.

"Well that is a very bold claim to make!" Otto exclaimed in surprise, "nonetheless, I wish I was blessed with something similar if it were true! All the commercial deals I could do which would always pay off…"

"And avoid wasting all your money on out of season oil?" Subaru looked at him with a smirk.

"For example!" Otto sighed again, "if only you knew, Natsuki-san! I was so sure of my skills when I cut off that deal! Only to know later on that I had been played like a fiddle!"

"Business is about being smart, I guess? You have to up your game, Otto." Subaru laughed along with Al on the back, "I'll not always be here to save you."

"Aaaah, if only!"

When he was sure that the attention was taken away from him, Subaru returned to his inner thoughts, thinking about the possibility of Priscilla's grasp over the 'world' as she herself said.

"If she really has such a power…Then what is even the point of this selection for the throne?" He thought to himself, "When this is all over, I might need to find a way to beat the system, for Emilia's sake…"

Another few hours passed, the convoy had to stop to take a rest for the night, preparing the food and tents for everyone before going to sleep, and reaching the mansion the next day.

After readying the campsite, most of the soldiers were sharpening their blades and checking most of their equipment once more, after receiving confirmation that they would be battling against the cult tomorrow.

"I never knew such a passage existed, but it is indeed true…" Rem whispered in awe as she checked the map of Lugunica, tracing the road they took with a pencil, "it will be valuable information for Roswaal-sama."

"Where are we right now, Rem?" Subaru asked her from the side.

"Perhaps another ten hours on the road, and we should be reaching Arlam," Rem smiled back at Subaru, "we will definitely reach it on time!"

Subaru felt like he was about to cry of joy, as this loop really seemed like it could work. But instead, he went forward and pulled Rem into a hug, making her face blushing bright red.

"We will make it…! We will make it, Rem!" He uttered while holding her close, "we have a chance…!"

Albeit embarrassed, Rem was quick to notice his beating heart next to hers. He was relieved, and happy. She was able to feel some of his weights slowly leaving his shoulders, which made her all the more happy as well.

"Mh, we will, Subaru-kun," she whispered as she smiled warmly, hugging him back, "I'm sure we will be able to save everyone, just as you said we would…"

"Yeah…" Subaru breathed out loudly, wiping the tears off his eyes after parting with Rem," when we get there, we'll need to convince Emilia to follow us…But I guess with you and all the troops, she will have no choice but to believe me."

"Rem will make sure to help to the best of her ability," She replied while bumping her fists up, "you can count on me, Subaru-kun!"

"Thank you, Rem…" Subaru smiled at her, "thank you…"

"Okay everyone, time to head to bed! We wake up at the first light at dawn!" One of the soldiers shouted, everyone moving to their tents right after.

"We should follow now, tomorrow will be a long day…" He told the maid, who nodded at him as they went to their tent.

In the middle of the night, Subaru slowly opened his eyes, meeting with the sleeping face of Rem. Looking around, he saw a light by the opening of his tent.

Walking outside, he saw Aldebaran sitting by a fire, under the star-filled night sky of Lugunica, enjoying the peace and quiet.

"Mind if I sit here?" Subaru came closer, pointing next to Al.

"Nah, be my guest." Al promptly replied, as Subaru joined him in his star gazing.

"You…Like observing the stars?" As he looked up, Subaru began to try and recognize the ones he knew.

"Yeah, it's an old habit that I had from…Well, back in the days." Al sighed, poking the fire with a wooden stick.

"I feel you," Subaru smiled, "it does that for me too. Every time I feel a bit anxious, I like to look up at the stars, it makes me-"

"Feel at ease," Al finished for him, "I guess we really get each other."

"...Do you miss it?" Subaru looked at the helmeted man with a serious expression, "home, I mean."

Al remained quiet for a few seconds, slowly nodding his head as he thought about what to answer, "I can't say I do anymore bro…I've been away for too long."

"You…"

"I forgot," he exhaled, "not that I like it, but there's barely anything I recall from my old world…"

"Not even your family…?" Subaru continued, voicing his concern.

"You know I even wondered if I ever had one," he scoffed in distaste, "it's been so many years I…I didn't even know if my 'past' was real."

He turned to Subaru, "before I met you, I was pretty sure to go crazy. That everything I remembered from my time as a kid was just…Bullshit I created for some reason in my mind. I thought everything was a damn lie, and that I was cursed to live with that stuck in my head."

"..."

"But then you came along…" Al chuckled fondly, "you don't know how relieved I was when I heard you say those words, back in the alleyway. I've never been able to thank you properly for that…So, thank you. I owe you one."

"...I don't even feel like saying 'you're welcome', you deserved that relief," Subaru winced, truly feeling bad for Al, "man, I really don't want to end up like you at some point."

Briefly, Subaru remembered his mother and father, his home and his city…The past he lived, the people he knew and the memories he had…What would he do if he ever lost it all?

"You're already off to a better start than I ever was," Al bumped his shoulder, "you shouldn't go down that path pal…At least I hope."

"Yeah I hope so too…" He replied with an earnest expression, "there's only so much I'd not be willing to lose."

"I get that you care a lot for your past life?"

"I do…" He breathed out in sadness, "I really do…"

Al tapped his back with his remaining hand, trying to comfort him as much as he could.

"The only advice I can give you is to try to make it up in this world bro," Al nodded his head to him, "maybe your old world is behind, but that doesn't mean that you have to stop living, and trying your best to have a good life here."

"Is this what you've been doing…?" Subaru turned towards him.

"This is what I've been trying to do," Al answered, "surviving. No matter the cost."

"...How did this make you end up with Priscilla, out of all people?"

"Pff, I don't know." Al began to laugh alongside Subaru, trying to remain as low as possible to not wake up the others, "in a way, fate kinda just…Led me here."

"And you decided to stay? From what I've seen she isn't treating you with the most respect…"

"Yeah yeah, but you would have to be blind to not find her sexy enough to stay around," Al spoke his thoughts, albeit not the real reason why he ended up following Priscilla.

"Is it really about how sexy she is?" Subaru replied with a chuckle.

"What? She isn't?"

"Nah, she definitely is," Subaru nodded his head, "but I don't know if I'd be able to take what she throws on daily, even with how beautiful she is."

"Ah, you heard the boys. She isn't as terrible as she seems at first glance," Al mused aloud, "she just has her ways to push you around. It's unconventional, but if you're able to follow, she can do wonders."

"Are you saying that…She helped you? Or saved you?" Noticing a pattern, Subaru looked at him expectantly.

"Hm…Just as much as the silver-haired girl did to you." Al replied in a truthful tone, "well, not the same manners but…The result is more so here."

"I guess…" Subaru uttered, thinking back at Priscilla's actions until now.

Never would he have guessed that his opinion would start to change so drastically about her. Yesterday still, he saw Priscilla as a snake-tongued villain. The kind of person which would stand as an arrogant antagonist to eventually beat at some point.

Subaru was driven to realize that this world had nothing to do with what he initially believed it to be. And now, he started to think that perhaps such a reality was true for the people as well?

"I still have a long way to go uh…" He whispered to himself, laying on the ground so he could be face to face with the stars up above.

"We all do," Al replied in a soft voice after hearing him, "what matters is what you learn on the road."

"When everything is over…I'll apologize to Priscilla." He said aloud, as he suddenly noticed a shooting star.

"..." Al quietly laid down next to him, putting his hand behind his helmet.

"What do you say about staying here for a bit longer?" Subaru asked him without taking his eyes off the sky.

"Ah, don't worry about that pal, I'll follow ya."

---

Did you guys knew that "Al Dabaran" meant "the follower" in Arabic? Its path is linked to Pleiades!

I want to give a special thank you to Notsk and Reactionist for beta-reading this chapter, Evon for threatening me to write it, and the members of the fanfiction server for insulting me day by day to publish it.

I hope you enjoyed your read. Hopefully, it will not take another year to write the next chapter of this fic.